Rub salt into a corpse
by whenthemarshmallowmettheslayer
Summary: "He ruined my life," the Joker croaks out and Jason doesn't care. He wants answers not to hear the nonsense the Joker spews out like poison. "No matter how many little Robins I kill, I'll always be behind. When I-" the Joker grimaced as Jason tightened his grip even further. (Rated M for language.)


A/N: Originally posted on ao3 under the pen name youngjusticewriter.

I had a huge debate about Joker using profanity (it being ooc or not) but apparently he has cussed in the comics so him cussing stayed.

This came about because of a comic panel I saw. Google Stephanie Brown & Joker and there's a panel that shows up on images that shows the Joker talking to Black Mask about him ruining the Joker's life because the Joker could kill other Robins but it won't matter because he never murdered the sweetest Robin. Which is really disturbing but this also is the guy who tortured Tim into Junior in Batman Beyond universe so I honestly shouldn't have been surprised.

* * *

He takes off his gloves. The metal of the crowbar is cold on his hands but all Jason does is smile. Finally, a life later, years later he's here. Yet, he is cold as the crowbar that's in his hands. There isn't any warmth of satisfaction (of justice finally being delivered) as he beats his murderer with a crowbar. He'll feel it though. (He has to.)

The Joker looks... Shitty. Tired. Wasted away. Take your pick. Any pick!

It's not because of the blood - his own blood - on his teeth and that seeps onto the concrete. He has looked shitty ever since he threaten to kill Jason before mentioning he wasn't kidding. It's unsettling and Jason doesn't give a flying fuck that the Joker is having a bad day. This was the day that Jason finally got his revenge. The day the Joker begged for mercy he never gave Jason or his mother.

"What in hell is wrong with you?" Jason snarls before grabbing onto the hideous orange collar and yanking Joker into his face because this is not right. He's waited years for this and it has to be perfect and the Joker, of course, is fucking it up.

The Joker's head rolls as he's yanked forward and he smiles stupidly at Jason and for once that wide of his smile looks forced. To say it was unsettling would be understatement. Jason's no longer cold; he's freezing. Everything about this is just wrong and everything in Jason (the street rat, Robin, a warrior trained by the League of Assassins) is screaming to get the hell out.

"She's still dead," the Joker tells him in an inside-the-manor voice and as if that explains everything. It doesn't. Jason's pretty sure the fucker underneath him doesn't care about any one but himself and the Batman no matter what Harley Quinn may delude herself into thinking.

"Who's dead?" Jason finally asks and now that he's actually looking Jason can see the circles under his eyes.

"Why the sweetest little Robin of course," the Joker then giggles insanely before he went on. "Didn't your father tell you?" The Joker croons falsely sympathetic. "Or did he leave Uncle Joker to break the news to the Robin who fucks up being dead?" The Joker's smile is sharp and that of of a predator's. Because even though the Joker is broken below him he's still a monster. And maybe Joker won't stop being a monster even when he's dead.

Jason, without a moment of hesitation, drops the crowbar and wraps his now free hand around the Joker's pale throat. Jason finally feels warmth but it isn't 's not the good kind of warmth he felt that night Bruce stayed in from patrol just because he's sick but the warmth Jason's felt when he's body was on fire before he had died. Like he's going to be consumed by fire (anger) once again.

"Explain," he growls out. No more no less. Jason's never been elaborate with words. He's crass and frank and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

"I thought you already knew," Joker tells him with that shit eating grin of his and without so much as a thought Jason's hand tightens on the neck. Briefly, he wonders what the Joker's corpse would look like. Would there even be a bruise on the chalk white throat?

He should be worried by the fact the Joker - the worst, most deprived piece of shit that ever fought Batman - knowing that Batman is his father. That the Joker knows that Jason was dead and somehow came back. He can't though.

The fact that Joker implies that the dead she was the sweetest little Robin echoes in his head and it's miracle that Jason hasn't completely taken the ability to breathe all together from the fucker underneath him.

"He ruined my life," the Joker croaks out and Jason doesn't care. He wants answers not to hear the nonsense the Joker spews out like poison.

"No matter how many little Robins I kill, I'll always be behind. When I-" the Joker grimaced as Jason tightened his grip even further because he's isn't the replacement's biggest fan but that didn't mean he was okay with the Joker flippantly mentioning murdering him, "figured out who you were I'd hoped she'd fuck up being dead too."

The Joker paused, a look sadness washed over his ugly and worn face. And Jason -

he feels sick to his stomach like that time a life time ago where he ate chili dogs before bed had a nightmare and ended up puking on his bed. Till this day Jason could remember the putrid smell.

There had been another Robin murdered and he hadn't known. Yet the Joker thought he had because of his actions. He ruined my life, had been what the Joker had croaked out.

How hadn't Jason learnt of this until now- until the fucking Joker told him? He had failed. It's a bitter realization but that didn't matter. He'd handle this. There was a fucker out there that was alive just like the Joker and Jason would kill him brutally for this. This isn't about Jason getting revenge and getting the Bruce to see he was wrong. Two strikes you're out. There wouldn't be a third not when Jason was alive.


End file.
